Please post your questions to our discussion forum - Don't send them to me in a PM or E-mail...

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Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.

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Please post your questions to our discussion forum - Don't send them to me in a PM or E-mail...

First let me say I feel bad for posting this, but each day I have people who have discovered our forum, read through it, and then decide to personally e-mail me their questions or send them to me via a Private Message.

While I appreciate your trust and the time you take to type and then send me your questions, sending me questions via e-mails or PM's defeats the purpose of the discussion forum.

Besides that, there's only so much typing time in each day. I'm what's called a Long Copy Writer, which is a curse but most people tend to like detailed explanations sharing not only what to do but why you're doing it. That said, there's only so much typing time in each day and typing out detailed answers in a single e-mail or a single PM that only one set of eyeballs is going to see is not a good use of typing time.

My practice when I get an e-mail or PM with questions is to give the Nutshell Version and then kindly ask the person to copy and paste their questions and post them to the forum. It's not that I don't want to answer questions in an e-mail or a PM it's just I type fast and even when I type fast I can't keep up with all the typing requirements on my plate each day as it is.

So please don't take offense if I reply to an e-mail or PM and ask you to post your questions to the forum, it's just a matter of not having enough time in each day to type out answers in e-mails and PM's.

Besides that, we have so many knowledgeable and experienced forum members and when you post your questions to the forum you get an abundant variety of helpful and informative replies from a wide-spectrum of people.

I truly appreciate the trust people place in the Autogeek forum but due to the time it takes to think-out and write specific answers to a wide spectrum of questions, often times that include formatting, as well as including click-able links with pictures, it is impossible to try to answer questions both on the forum and via e-mails and PM's.

Since the forum is the best venue for asking and receiving answers, please if at all possible, post your questions to our discussion forum.

If you're unsure as to where to post your question, most questions can be asked in the Auto Detailing 101 Forum, below is the link to the forum group.

Auto Detailing 101


If you are new to our forum, before you can post a question you must first register with our forum and become a member. There is no cost involved, just a simple form to fill out. I know a lot of "Lurkers" find it easier to simply fire-off an e-mail because they're not a member so they can't post a question without joining the forum but joining is pretty simple and you can confirm yourself and be posting in a matter of minutes.

Click here to register with our forum

If you have any trouble registering with our forum, then you are encouraged to call me while you're behind your computer with the registration screen up and I will help you to successfully register so that you can actively participate on the Autogeek Online Discussion Forum.



Thank you for understanding...


:xyxthumbs:
 
My PM box is full....

The Private Message system is great for "private messages", but if you have "Questions" on how to detail cars... these are better posted to the public side of the forum.

Then I can chime in with answers and so can so many other forum members.

You actually get more and better answers.

Plus "Typing Time" each day is limited. When I get a Private Message with a dozen questions, some of them which will take time to type out detailed answers with links and pictures, it's really the best leverage of my typing time to answer these question on the public side of this discussion forum and not via the Private Message system.

Thank you for understanding.


:)
 
***Bump***

Gosh I hate to bump this thread but I simply cannot answer questions sent to me via a Private Message.

I really don't even like making this bump but for some reason, people join our forum and then send their questions to me via the Private Messaging system.

That's a great idea but it completely defeats the purpose of the forum.

If I type out answers in a private message only one set of eyeballs ever sees the information.

If I type out answers on the forum the trend for the last 14 years has been thousands of people read the thread and my guess is benefit from the information exchanged.

I just don't have the typing time to type out detailed answers, which is my style, for one set of eyeballs.

Sorry...

And thank you ahead of time for everyone that reads this into the future and then posts their questions to the forum instead of sending them to me via a PM.


:dblthumb2: :dblthumb2: :dblthumb2:
 
First let me say....


I love the fact that people trust me enough to send me a private message sharing their detailing project and then asking for advice. Love it.

What I do by instinct is look to see what their post count is? It's almost always zero or 0

A person's post count is displayed under their Avatar or if they don't have an Avatar then it's under their forum nickname. I just took this screenshot and you can see my post count is 32,628

Post_Count.jpg



So I look under their name and the majority of the time it's 0 and this means they just joined and have not made any posts yet.

This also indicates to me that its VERY possible this is the first time they've joined forum and completely possible they simply don't understand how forums work or how to start a thread let alone where to start a thread.

So they send me an Private Message.


And I understand all of this. Heck I was new to forums too at one time. So I completely understand. But here's the deal... I simply don't have the typing time to type out lengthy, (which means helpful), detailed replies, using the multi-quote formatting feature and include links, pictures and videos for one set of eyeballs. It's not that it's not worth it... as helping others is always worth it... it's just for all the time and work it takes to type out a detailed helpful reply it could be shared on the PUBIC FORUM (not in a private message), where hundreds and thousands and even tens of thousands of people can read the information an be helped by it.


At the time I'm posting this, my article on how to restore antique single stage paint has

247 replies --> this can be considered really high engagement especially when you consider the majority of people on Earth own a car with a basecoat/clearcoat paint system - NOT a single stage paint system.

397,810 Views --> This could be both forum members and LURKERS and that number is getting close to 1/2 a MILLION just to put things in perspective.



Here's a screenshot I just took to show the stats of the how to restore antique single stage paint thread.


fourthousandviews247reples.jpg



And if you're curious, here's the link to that article,

The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints


So here's the point....


If I didn't post that article on the PUBLIC FORUM it would never have these kinds of stats. It would never help hundreds and thousands of people learn how to correctly restore and preserve the antique single stage paint on their special car.


So again... I love that people trust me enough to join our forum and send me a Private Message sharing their detailing project and asking for my advice on how to go about detailing their project... I simply don't have the typing time to type for one set of eyeballs and the the information shared, both the questions and the answers can and will help so many others into the future as the stats for the article above proves.

Make sense?


Now after I click on the [Submit Reply] button I'm going to the in-box in my Private Messages to share the link to this thread with all the people with zero posts that sent me private messages over night asking me for advice for their detailing projects.

I love you guys!


But please, if you sent me a private message, simply go to your "Sent Folder" click on your message. Copy the message and start a new thread with a great title and the paste what you wrote into the message and post it here on the forum.

Then if you want... send me a PM letting me know of your "thread" and I'm more than happy to do my best to type out the most in-depth how-to information to help you through to success in your garage.



Thank you...


Mike Phillips


dblthumb2
 
And....


If you're reading this thread after I replied to your private message AND you're NEW to discussion forums, that's okay, we were all new at one time.

Below are two articles I wrote to show you with pictures and help you to start your own thread on this forum and to write a GREAT title so you get help from me and all our awesome forum members.



How to start a new thread & How to reply to an existing thread


How to write a good title for your thread


A tip to help yourself get great answers when you start a thread





:xyxthumbs:
 
***Update***


Today is the first day back after being offline for some vacation time.

Starting out the day catching up with e-mails and Private Messages.


If I reply to your Private Message with a link to this thread, it's just a friendly request to ask you to PLEASE post questions to the forum.

This is why there IS a forum. Otherwise we could shut the forum downs and just set up a link to send me questions. Not a very good leverage of typing time.


Thank you...


:dblthumb2:
 
Hey Mike, thanks for making time in your busy schedule to get on the forum and type out the lengthy information that you always provide rather than just a few one liners. It is very much appreciated.

I agree, the best place for new users to ask you questions is right here in your thread. Not only can you stop in an provide valuable information, other users can provide feedback as well.

Thanks for all you do Mike. Truly appreciated.

Keep on buffing!

:buffing:
 
Mike@DedicatedPerfection said:
Hey Mike, thanks for making time in your busy schedule to get on the forum and type out the lengthy information that you always provide rather than just a few one liners. It is very much appreciated.

I agree, the best place for new users to ask you questions is right here in your thread. Not only can you stop in an provide valuable information, other users can provide feedback as well.

Thanks for all you do Mike. Truly appreciated.

Keep on buffing!

:buffing:
Click to expand...


You know I love two things...

1. I love detailing cars.

2. I love showing others how to detail cars.​



Been doing it all my life now in the real world and the online world. The thing is I just can't type out answers for one set of eyeballs. It's nothing personal.... it's just about making the best leverage of my typing time.

I get a lot of PMs from people with ZERO posts. That tells me they're probably brand new to the forum world and simply don't understand how forums work and most likey don't think about the difference between posting a question to the forum and sending it in a PM.

I understand all of this... but I still can't spend time typing out in-depth answers for one set of eyeballs.


Thanks for your comments Mike...


:)
 
***Bump***


I don't mind doing the extra work it takes to copy and paste the info in an e-mail or any form of "messaging" to the forum and starting threads for people but at the same time... if it's truly important to you to get helpful and accurate information then why not simply take a few minutes of your time to join this forum and start your own thread.


:)
 
It's so hard now days for me to keep up with all my job duties including "communications".

I tend to answer questions on the forum MUCH better than when someone sends them to me via e-mail or in a Private Message.

People that send me questions via e-mail normally find me via the forum or maybe they saw me on TV or a YT video. I get it. But I don't have time to type out detailed answers via e-mail for just one set of eyeballs. So I MUCH prefer to provide detailed answers on the forum. Facebook is a horrible interface for longevity. Anything you post to Facebook is like a vapor, here for a moment and then gone. On a forum, info endures and is found via Google for decades down the road.

Same goes for Private Messages. I know people don't really know what they are doing when they send me their questions via a PM. They are just looking for help - so... they send me a PM.

But this is the purpose of the FORUM. If I'm just going to answer questions via Private Messages it kind of defeats the purpose or idea of a forum. And like a Private Message - I simply don't have the time to type out in-depth answers for just one set of eyeballs.

If a person wants to ask me,

Which polisher should I buy? A RUPES or a FLEX?

I'm happy to answer in public. And then THOUSANDS of people can read and benefit form the answer for decades into the future. Point in fact, I've been here at Autogeek answering questions for 10 years now - that's a decade. I always type for the future so my answers and info will be accurate at the time I type it and 10 years, or 20 years or 30 years down the road.

If I type out an in-depth answer in a Private Message - only one set of eyeballs will ever see it.

So please... if you have a question- start a thread and post it to the forum. If I'm not answering it, it's because I'm busy. No problem - send me an e-mail or a Private Message with the LINK to your thread and I will be happy to answer your questions on the forum.

For everyone that has a PM to me and is waiting - I just checked my PMs and found them, (I've been a tick busy), and I'll answer you when I'm in the office tomorrow sitting behind a real keyboard with my Ergo Arm Holders where I can more easily SPEED TYPE.

Thank you!


:)
 
Mike-

I hear you, its what our society has become these days, newbies especially, want INDIVIDUAL PERSONALIZED answers, instead of searching, researching and above all , reading. I can only think its people who have been served all their life, and think they deserve it.

I own a marine website forum and as owner and admin, get 3-5 PMs a day asking me my opinion or what procedure to use to fix an engine, it's alway someone that has just joined....I always post them back the same message "post it on the forum and see what answers you get… Thank you for your participation."

Another friend of mine owns an audio forum and he has set his forum up so that the only people that can PM just him are people that have at least 50 to 75 posts…and/ or made a hard money contribution to the forum as a supporter.
 
Thank you, Mike, I understand and appreciate your desire to have questions asked in threads rather than PMs. It does make the forum more useful, entertaining and informative...since other people may have the same questions or be interested in the same information.

glen e said:
I hear you, its what our society has become these days, newbies especially, want INDIVIDUAL PERSONALIZED answers, instead of searching, researching and above all , reading. I can only think its people who have been served all their life, and think they deserve it.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, but not always the case. For some people, like myself, who have researched and researched and put in countless days and hours researching, often times what you find are posts that contradict one another. Some people may say some product or procedure is great and works, while others say the exact opposite. And in these cases, there is no way of knowing how much experience, expertise or knowledge the people responding may have in this particular area. They could just be repeating what they have heard, and they may have heard it from someone who has no idea what they are talking about. Some people may just want to get it right the first time rather than have a bad or counterproductive experience, especially if they are newbies. Therefore, the desire to ask a knowledgeable professional may be appealing to some/many.

glen e said:
I own a marine website forum and as owner and admin, get 3-5 PMs a day asking me my opinion or what procedure to use to fix an engine, it's alway someone that has just joined....I always post them back the same message "post it on the forum and see what answers you get… Thank you for your participation."
Click to expand...

Also fair enough, and I definitely understand where you and Mike are coming from....but surely you can understand why someone has sent you the PM. If anything, you should be flattered that they took the time to ask you directly, because it's an indication that they value and trust your judgement and opinion. I definitely can understand the desire to encourage forum participation and interaction for the purposes of discussion and sharing knowledge and opinions, but hopefully you will follow that up in the thread that they posted and chime in with your own personal opinion and response (as Mike has indicated that he will do). After all, they did ask you rather than rely solely on random members to possibly chime in, which often times can go unnoticed and/or without any responses.

Again, I appreciate Mike's and your input and reasoning, and it does make perfect sense...but please try to understand that people asking questions, even through a PM, are seeking knowledge, which shouldn't be looked at as a negative or a bad thing. The reasons that they contact you directly should be viewed as a major compliment, even if the desire to encourage forum participation and interaction for all forum members is a valid one and does have a lot of merit.
 
Sports Fan, your points are also valid but I don't think Mike perceives personal messages as a bad thing. He's just trying to encourage those who do that to post publically as a means to get answers and sometimes faster because he is extremely busy.

I can absolutely appreciate that and it's better for forum health and growth as well. Plus, as he says, he can throw in his advice and expertise and many more get the benefit from not only his public answer but others as well.

I don't want to speak for him but, I know he appreciates the questions he gets privately. Its just better for the whole community to benefit from not only the question but the answers too...from many different perspectives.
 
glen e said:
Mike-

I hear you, its what our society has become these days, newbies especially, want INDIVIDUAL PERSONALIZED answers, instead of searching, researching and above all , reading.

I can only think its people who have been served all their life, and think they deserve it.
Click to expand...


I hear what you're saying but that's not how I look at it at all.

If I was only going to work on this forum for one day then I'd simply answer any question sent to me via any manner and be done with it. But as I've been typing all my life,


I'm in this for the long run


I'm not leaving the car detailing or boat detailing world after having invested my whole life into to it SO I look at everything from a long-term approach. It all goes back to typing time.


I get people that just join a forum don't really think much into it and if they have a question they might just fire off a PM to whoever is the lead dog any given forum. I get it. But I'm in this for the long run and I MUCH prefer to answer questions on the public forum. And there reason why is really simply. I don't tend to give out one-liners. I tend to invest a lot of time typing to HELP the person seeking help and I don't mind and my boss doesn't mind as this is part of Autogeek's CUSTOMER CARE. But if I'm going to invest the time to go into detail and include,

  1. Typed out info
  2. Links to more info
  3. Pictures
  4. Videos
  5. Links to products on the store


Then it's a much better leverage of my typing time to do it where as the stats on this forum and the stats on the MOL forum show, thousands and tens of thousands of people will then read it, probably get helped by it and "yes" in the end spend some money with Autogeek - where they got their Customer Service.


So my though process doesn't go down the path of some people feel entitled to instant gratification - it goes down to being a good steward of the time and resources I'm trusted with by my employer.


:cheers:
 
Sports Fan said:
Thank you, Mike, I understand and appreciate your desire to have questions asked in threads rather than PMs. It does make the forum more useful, entertaining and informative...since other people may have the same questions or be interested in the same information.
Click to expand...

Correct. That is the purpose of the forum.


Sports Fan said:
Fair enough, but not always the case. For some people, like myself, who have researched and researched and put in countless days and hours researching, often times what you find are posts that contradict one another. Some people may say some product or procedure is great and works, while others say the exact opposite. And in these cases, there is no way of knowing how much experience, expertise or knowledge the people responding may have in this particular area. They could just be repeating what they have heard, and they may have heard it from someone who has no idea what they are talking about. Some people may just want to get it right the first time rather than have a bad or counterproductive experience, especially if they are newbies. Therefore, the desire to ask a knowledgeable professional may be appealing to some/many.
Click to expand...

And I totally get what you're saying above. One thing I try to do is always be honest and accurate. I have a forum history that goes back to the year 2002, as I type that's 17 years not. Not as long as some but probably longer than most. I don't type out one-liners, I type out in-depth answers that make sense and endure the test of time. I do my best to answer anyone's question to the best of my ability.

I also understand that there's no criteria for anyone on the Internet to call themselves and EXPERT - thus you get a lot of opinions presented as expert advice. My advice to everyone is to choose wisely which Guru you decide to follow and I'll just leave it at that.

I will say out of the 5 how-to books I've written, no one has ever contacted me in any way and said,


Hey Mike, right here on page so-and-so... you're wrong.


I put a lot of time and care into every book I've written just like I put a lot of time and care into every post I make to insure the information is accurate. As a veteran of the NXT vs Zaino Wax Wars I have learned to pick and choose EACH word I type both carefully and specifically. If I type it I can defend it. And I learned this from people trying to take me down via the written word. :laughing:



Sports Fan said:
Also fair enough, and I definitely understand where you and Mike are coming from....but surely you can understand why someone has sent you the PM. If anything, you should be flattered that they took the time to ask you directly, because it's an indication that they value and trust your judgement and opinion. I definitely can understand the desire to encourage forum participation and interaction for the purposes of discussion and sharing knowledge and opinions, but hopefully you will follow that up in the thread that they posted and chime in with your own personal opinion and response (as Mike has indicated that he will do). After all, they did ask you rather than rely solely on random members to possibly chime in, which often times can go unnoticed and/or without any responses.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with what you wrote above.

Sometimes, people will send me a PM or a Facebook Message or an Email and directly say they want to ask me a question or for my opinion in private and I'm always happy to answer them honestly. But I also answer them honestly as though I were going to post it on the forum because I've had people take what they said was going to be PRIVATE and the copy and paste it somewhere on the Internet for their own nefarious reasons. One such person no longer posts here, (he's gone), and the forum he used to post is gone!

I guess he and the forum owner were never in it for the long run. :laughing:


But I totally get it and have learned from experience to trust but verify and CYA.



Sports Fan said:
Again, I appreciate Mike's and your input and reasoning, and it does make perfect sense...but please try to understand that people asking questions, even through a PM, are seeking knowledge, which shouldn't be looked at as a negative or a bad thing. The reasons that they contact you directly should be viewed as a major compliment, even if the desire to encourage forum participation and interaction for all forum members is a valid one and does have a lot of merit.
Click to expand...


Completely agree.

That's why when I wrote this article and specifically the first post - if you read it carefully, I'm very gentle and kind in how I explain the point of the article, not harsh or arrogant. I'm just trying to look out for my employer's best LONG term investment into me and all my co-workers that help me behind the scenes.

This is actually the second thread of this type. I've been in this for the long run since forum were invented. Here's the first thread dated July 20th, 2005 - 14 years ago as I type.


Please post your questions to our discussion forum


wink2.gif
 
Hey Mike, I'm on multiple forums for cars, bikes, guitars, etc. and a common theme in most of them is that one cannot send a PM until they have a post count of twenty or so. That would help cut down on the PMs coming in from a newbie.
 
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